Ignoring bad advice
Introduction
Most native speakers don't remember much about what they learned in English class in school. But sometimes a particular admonition sticks in the mind. This is then taken to be a rule to follow in the present.
Linguist Arnold Zwicky has called such outdated rules zombie rules (zombie picture warning!), since like zombies the rules never seem to die even though they have no grammatical justification.
Below are five of the most common zombie rules. They have something of a validity in certain contexts. But as bold admonitions to be followed on all occasions, they can be ignored.
- Avoid the passive
Grammar checkers such as Grammarly and Microsoft Word alert writers to the passive uses in their texts, and often suggest alternatives.
These alerts give writers the impression that the passive is somehow a problem in itself. This is certainly not true. Often the passive is a much better choice than an active equivalent.
Here is a video lesson on the passive that advises when to use it and when not to.
- Do not end a sentence with a preposition
In fact, this zombie rule is also applied to embedded clauses. Here are examples of what the rule forbids.
- Which room do you have science class in?
- You have nothing to be afraid of.
- Who was that man you were talking to?
- The girl that John went to the dance with is my friend's sister.
- Racial equality is something that most people are for.
The alternatives that follow the rule are:
- In which room do you have science class?
- You have nothing of which to be afraid.
- Who was that man to whom you were talking?
- The girl with whom John went to the dance is my friend's sister.
- Racial equality is something for which most people are.
It is clear that the alternatives are formal and unsuitable for everyday spoken and written language. Indeed, the last rewritten example sounds ridiculous. Nevertheless, it is useful to learn how to write such formal language as it is often more appropriate in academic texts.
- Do not split an infinitive
@ This zombie rule is a relic of the influence of some century-old grammarians, who took Latin as a model of how English should be. ~ The rule proscribes the usages below in which the bold word splits to from its infinitive:
- He wanted to not wake her.
- You need to quietly pack your things and leave the room.
- I hope to never see him again.
- She decided to really try harder next time.
- To boldly go where no man has gone before. (Startrek)
Most people have no problems with this split usage in informal spoken and written language. But some may have a negative opinion of you as a writer if you split infinitives in formal contexts. In such cases, you might be better advised to find an alternative where possible.
Sometimes, the best alternative is to just move (!) the word that splits the infinitive to another place in the sentence. But it is not always possible to create a natural alternative in this way or one that retains the same meaning. You will then no choice but to do a more extensive rewrite. Or to just ignore the pedants. (Or to ignore just the pedants?)
- Do not start a sentence with and, but or or
This is a rule that may have been based on the English teacher's legitimate desire to avoid her students writing narratives such as "And then he said that. And then I did this. And then they..."
In other words, @@it is easier to completely forbid an overused habit than to instruct students in when it is acceptable or especially appropriate to use it~~.
If you are writing for a teacher or an organisation that has this rule, then follow it. But if you are not, then ignore it - as in this case.
- Do not start a defining relative clause with which
A defining relative clause is a relative clause that defines (yes, really), identifies, specifies or limits its antecedent. An example will make this clear. The antecedent in this case is friend:
- I have a friend who speaks five languages.
Since the antecedent friend is a noun denoting a human, the relative pronoun is who. But if the antecedent is anything else (e.g. an object or a concept), then the relative pronoun must be which or that:
- A corkscrew is a tool which is used to open a bottle of wine.
- A corkscrew is a tool that is used to open a bottle of wine.
Most people will find both of these alternatives acceptable. But the zombies out there think that only the that version is allowed. There is evidence in this case that the zombies are more likely to be American speakers of English than British speakers.
Conclusion
None of the zombie rules above have any justification beyond the fact that some people in the past took on themselves the role of arbiters of correct usage. You have the right to ignore them.
But, and this is an important but and so it is worth repeating from above, @@@if you are writing for a teacher or an organisation that still holds to these zombie rules, then follow them. ~~~
In other contexts you can ignore them if you wish. But just know that if you are writing for a wide audience, there will no doubt be a zombie among them who thinks you are wrong.